On Sunday, November 26, hundreds of Jews, ranging in age from one to 90, came together to celebrate Jewish learning and culture at Limud Caracas, the first such gathering in Venezuela.
“It was thrilling to see grandparents, grandchildren, young adults, students, Sepharadim, Ashkenazim, secular, religious, people from every part of the community streaming in,” said Limud Caracas Steering Group Member Anabella G. de Jaroslavsky. “A big thank you to our mentors from Limud Buenos Aires and to our sponsors, the JDC, the Moral y Luces Herzl Bialik School, and Hebraica Caracas.”
Out of a population of 29 million, there are today 5-6,000 Jews in Venezuela, down from an estimated 20,000 in 1999. Many have emigrated to Israel, Miami and Spain, owing to the ongoing political, economic and personal … [Read more...]

By Laurent Ross
SOSUA, Dominican Republic - The 21st edition of the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival returned to its roots on the north coast of the DR with a concert here at the Casa Marina Hotel Amphitheatre on November 2. Last year’s festival was dedicated to and centered on women as jazz artists. The theme this year was the internationalization of jazz, with each night of the festival dedicated to a particular nation. The concert in Sosua was dedicated to Israel, which was particularly fitting, given this small town’s connection to Jews.
Dictator Rafael Trujillo made the DR the only country to accept Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and Austria. Trujillo, a brutal tyrant who ruled the country for over thirty years, had his own interests in agreeing to the resettlement of 50,000 to 100,000 … [Read more...]

[To celebrate Limmud’s 35th year, eJewishPhilanthropy is offering a look into Jewish communities around the world through the eyes of Limmud volunteers. Limmud, the global grassroots Jewish learning movement founded in the United Kingdom in 1980, is today in 80 communities and 40 countries on six continents.
Limmud - or, more accurately in Spanish, Limud - is igniting Spanish-speaking communities across Latin America. Limud Chile launched in June; Uruguay is holding its second annual learning festival on September 6; and Limud Bogota, in Colombia, is set to debut in February 2016. In this article, we take an in-depth look at three Limud communities: Buenos Aires, Mexico and Peru.]
*****
Limud Buenos Aires: The Trailblazer
By Patricia Kahane
In 2006, I went to my first Limmud in the … [Read more...]

By Dovid Margolin
This is the third in a five-part series on Chabad’s impact on Jewish life in Argentina, one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.
Buenos Aires, Argentina - A broad, barrel-chested man, Gabi Levinsky rose to address 150 fellow parents gathered in the cafeteria of the Wolfsohn-Tabacinic School. It was Friday night, and children ran freely around the room as Shabbat dinner stretched late into the muggy Argentine evening. With tears in his eyes, Levinsky thanked the Wolfsohn community for standing with his family following the sudden passing of their daughter a year earlier. By the time his short speech was over, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Levinsky’s daughter, Julietta, had been a student at Chabad’s Wolfsohn-Tabacinic School, a nursery through seventh-grade … [Read more...]

Nearly 500 people gathered on Sunday, June 14, 2015, at Instituto Hebreo Chaim Weitzman in Santiago for Limud Chile’s launch on the coldest day of the year to date. With the temperature hovering at -3 Centigrade outside, adults and children stayed warm expanding their Jewish horizons in one of 30+ sessions, panels, and workshops during the daylong Jewish learning festival. … [Read more...]

By Dovid Margolin
This is the second in a five-part series on Chabad’s impact on Jewish life in Argentina. The first article, "How Chabad Took Root in Argentina: The Early Years," is here.
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Chabad-Lubavitch of Argentina’s headquarters is located in the Once (UHN-say) neighborhood of Buenos Aires, a densely populated district that’s home to many of the city’s Jews and scores of Jewish institutions. Completed in the late 1990s, the colossal nine-story structure is protected by concrete security barriers and Israeli security guards - measures that were instituted across the Jewish community following the 1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association) building.
On any given day, the building buzzes with life. In addition to Chabad’s offices, … [Read more...]

By Dovid Margolin
This is the first in a five-part series on Chabad’s impact on Jewish life in Argentina, one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.
Buenos Aires, Argentina - This city pulses with life. During the day, it is a honking, traffic-filled mess. At night, the city’s wide, tree-lined boulevards stretch past people lounging in cafes and restaurants, regularly full until the wee hours of the morning. The grand examples of European-style architecture - vibrant, colorful, cosmopolitan - have gained Buenos Aires a telling moniker, the “Paris of South America.”
The capital and largest city of Argentina, Buenos Aires (“Good Airs” or “Fair Winds”) is the second-largest metropolitan area in South America after Greater São Paulo, Brazil.
Its Jewish history is as rich and varied … [Read more...]

By Martin Joseph
Haifa, known as Israel’s Red City for its staunchly secular, socialist orientation, saw its first Limmud learning festival in mid-November.
Over 200 participants, ranging in age from 12 to 85 and representing Haifa’s Jewish spectrum, chose from sessions on wine tasting and Israeli comedy, a Bible contest and chavruta dialogue, among others.
"Limmud Haifa embodies this city’s spirit of Jewish renewal," Deputy Mayor Shay Blumenthal told the gathering as he thanked the volunteers.
Haifa’s Department of Education has been promoting Jewish renewal within the school system for the last six years. “We reach the pupils in school, but Limmud brings the Jewish renewal experience to the general public,” Ilana Trock, Haifa education department director and chair of Jewish renewal … [Read more...]

Join The Conversation!

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world?
Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.